Draft boundaries for Significant Natural Areas defined in the December 2016 report by Wildlands Ecologists. These boundaries were revised in July 2017 and are currently being updated as the Place Planning team carries out site visits to confirm the boundaries. SNAs are a natural ecosystem or habitat with significant indigenous biodiversity values. SNAs are identified by Wildlands Ecological Specialists against five criteria based on the Regional Policy Statement for Wellington Region. The criteria are: representativeness, rarity, diversity, ecological context, and tangata whenua values. We worked with ecologists and landscape specialists Wildlands and Boffa Miskell to map Wellington’s threatened indigenous flora and fauna based on Department of Conservation classification. We talked to local iwi about special landscapes. Policy 23 of the Regional Policy Statement for the Wellington region states ‘District and regional plans shall identify and evaluate indigenous ecosystems and habitats with significant indigenous biodiversity values; these ecosystems and habitats will be considered significant if they meet one or more of the following criteria: Representativeness: the ecosystems or habitats that are typical and characteristic examples of the full range of the original or current natural diversity of ecosystem and habitat types in a district or in the region, and: Are no longer commonplace (less than about 30 % remaining) Are poorly represented in existing protected areas (less than about 20 % legally protected) Rarity: the ecosystem or habitat has biological or physical features that are scarce or threatened in a local, regional, or national context. This can include individual species, rare and distinctive biological communities and physical features that are unusual or rare. Diversity: the ecosystem or habitat has a natural diversity of ecological units, ecosystems, species and physical features within an area Ecological context of an area: the ecosystem or habitat: Enhances connectivity or otherwise buffers representative, rare or diverse indigenous ecosystems and habitats, or Provides seasonal or core habitat for protected or threatened indigenous species Tangata Whenua Values: the ecosystem or habitat contains characteristics of special spiritual, historical or cultural significance to tangata whenua, identified in accordance with Tikanga Māori. In August 2019, the Place Planning team began engagement with members of the public whose property boundaries overlapped with an outstanding landscape boundary as part of the Backyard Taonga project. In March 2020, the Place Planning team began consultation on the Draft Spatial Plan as a precursor for a full District Plan review. For more information contact the Backyard Taonga project team by email: backyardtaonga@wcc.govt.nz or visit our website: https://planningforgrowth.wellington.govt.nz/about/backyard-taonga
